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The concept of resurrection helps us to contextualize our affinity to mystery, to make real and tangible the awe and apprehension that is deep within our being. It embodies our yearning for infinity, stretching back over billions of years and serving to connect us with the infinite eons that still lie ahead.” ~ Diarmuid O’Murchu

In this landmark work, They Will Inherit the Earth:Peace and Nonviolence in a Time of Climate Change, author, activist and Nobel peace prize nominee Father John Dear connects the way of active nonviolence with solidarity with Creation, and shows how our global epidemic of violence and war could only lead to catastrophic climate change. He cites Jesus’ third Beatitude as the basis for his meditation: "Blessed are the meek, they will inherit the earth." Thomas Merton said "meekness" was the biblical word for “nonviolence” (in the Gandhi/King sense), so Dear reflects how Jesus connected nonviolence with oneness with creation, how he practiced nonviolence and lived at one with creation, and how we need to do the same.

VOTFNJ's theme for Fall 2017 is Ministry for the 21st Century. Anthony Padovano kicked off our discussions with a presentation on the priesthood from early christianity to today.

Anthony T. Padovano holds doctorates and professorships in theology and literature. He is the author of 29 books, including 3 award-winning plays, translated into nine languages. A visiting professor at 25 American colleges and universities, he lectures world-wide and appears in the media on both sides of the Atlantic. His personal and professional papers are in the permanent archives of the University of Notre Dame.

At VOTFNJ's invitation, a steering committee for refugee assistance held its first organizational meeting on May 23, 2016 at St. Peter's Episcopal Church. The result: a coalition of 14 member organizations which have named themselves, Refugee Assistance Morris Partners (RAMP). Their stated purpose: "...to assist vetted Middle Eastern and other refugee families to transiton to productive lives of dignity, safety, and hope in the Morris County area of New Jersey." The group has partnered with World Church Service (WCS) and with the Community Foundation of New Jersey (CFNJ).

Learn more about RAMP here.Learn more about RAMP's partnership with CFNJ here.Donate to RAMP here.

Year-End Update of our RAMP Families here.Here is a Prayer for Refugees.

Road to Recovery, a non-profit organization that offers compassionate counseling and referral services to survivors of sexual abuse. Launched in 2005 to provide direct assistance to victims of clergy sexual abuse, R2R has expanded its mission to include survivors of all sexual abuse. Learn more.

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Intentional Eucharistic Communities(IECs) are those small faith communities, rooted in the Catholic tradition, which gather to celebrate Eucharist on a regular basis. Born in the enthusiasm flowing from Vatican II for a church of the people, some IECs were instituted in parishes, some were created as alternatives to the parish, some retain close ties with the institutional church, and some function independently. VOTFNJ considers itself to be an Intentional Eucharistic Community. Another New Jersey area IECs is the Sophia Inclusive Catholic Community (Andover, NJ), founded by a VOTFNJ member, Mary Ann Schoetlly.